Frozen Without
by Dane Kemp
Summary: Chapters of what Frozen would look like without certain characters. First chapter is really dark.
1. Frozen Without ANNA

Being an only child was lonely, and Elsa wished she had a sister to hang out with, to play with, to tell stories to and, of course, to build snowmen with. Elsa had known about her ice powers since she was three years old, and she enjoyed making mischief for the servants and maids who took residence in the castle of Arendelle.

Creating slippery patches of clear ice was a fun prank she pulled often, and it was even more fun when her parents brought guests over from other towns. There was one man who looked like a funny little chicken, and watching him slide on the ice while trying to seem like he wasn't was always a memory that Elsa pulled up when she was sad.

But there was one maid that Elsa would never pull a prank on. She was the only person who loved her for who she was. When Elsa was frightened by her powers, this maid would sit by her side and comfort her. When she wanted to play, the maid would join in. And Elsa was happy.

But of course it couldn't last forever. Because of Elsa wanting the maid to play with her, the maid had not done her duties, and because of the pressure from the other maids, her father had to fire her.

"I'm sorry, Elsa, but I have to go," the maid explained ruefully to the ten-year-old. "I should have done my duties, and I didn't. In fact, your father is being very nice about it."

"No, Anna! You can't leave!" Elsa shook her head and back up a little bit, scared of the thought of a future without her best friend. The maid just smiled,

"Elsa...it'll be alright. I'm sure the next person..."

"There won't be a next person!" Elsa yelled, swinging an arm at the girl. Some ice followed her wave and became pointy stalagmites that were aimed at the girl. One had been very close to hurting or killing her.

"Calm down," the maid soothed. "It'll be all right." She stepped around the ice and slowly walked toward the upset child.

"No, Anna, it WON'T!" Elsa shouted, and her body shot out small crystals of ice that flew into different places. One struck the maid in the shoulder and she stumbled back in shock. She didn't quite regain her balance, and she landed on one of the spikes from a few seconds earlier. Blood erupted from the young woman's chest and she coughed as blood entered her lungs.

"I always loved you, Elsa. I'm sorry...it had...to end...this...way." Her head tilted back as her lifeless body drooped. Elsa took a step of confusion and sadness back and hit a wall. That was the last straw. She cried.

Her parents forcefully entered the room and saw the body.

"Ah, shit!" Her father knelt in front of the body and inspected it. "What did you do, Elsa?"

"It...it was an accident," she stuttered in shock. "I was angry...that she had to leave."

The king was silent for a minute before he looked at his wife. He pursed his lips, then got up and whispered something in her ear. Elsa's mother nodded and took a step towards the girl.

"Come one, honey, let's go-" she started to say before Elsa interrupted.

"No! I'm staying right here!" The girl shouted. Another burst of energy shot out of her, hitting both of her parents. Her mother landed on the spears of ice that Elsa had created earlier, next to the maid. Her father stumbled forward, bashing his head into a wall, knocking him unconscious.

Elsa stumbled out of the room, panicked and scared. A servant entered the hallway and noticed her ambling.

"Princess Elsa, are you alright?" His eyes held genuine concern. Elsa looked at him with lightless eyes.

"Yeah, I guess I'm fine." Her voice had no emotion at all, and the servant backed up due to the unnatural behavior. "Get out of here." She commanded, and the servant obeyed.

Elsa walked towards the throne room and sat down on the throne for the first time and gave a smile at the feeling that she was meant to be there. She sat in the golden chair for a good few minutes, cherishing every moment, before standing up. There were some things that needed fixed. She stomped her foot, creating a giant snowflake made of ice on the floor. It spread, climbing up the walls and entering the hallways and other rooms.

Some servants and maids tried to enter, but were impaled on the newly-created spikes of ice that held tightly to the sides of the door frame of the throne room. Elsa heard shrieks on the other side of the wall of impaled nobodies.

The castle emptied as either the ice or the stories spread throughout. Elsa felt accomplished.

Within the next year, all of Arendelle had retreated inland, leaving the usually warm coastal city that was now frozen over behind. Within the next two years, Elsa's power had grown more, and the ice spread further, pushing the weaker villagers even more inland. Some stayed in Neo-Arendelle.

Elsa enjoyed the isolation. She had the whole castle to herself, She had created two servants out of ice to go and gather food for meals, and she needed no one else.

She lived like this for ten years. And that's when the little brats came.

It was the tenth anniversary of her parent's death when the curious children of Neo-Arendelle approached her castle.

"Your majesty," one of her ice servants hissed. "A few children approach. What do you want us to do?"

Elsa thought for a second, then said, "Watch them. If they enter the castle, make sure they don't leave alive."

The two servants looked at each other with devilish grins that complimented their demonic appearances before whisking away toward the door. Elsa just stayed sitting on her throne.

The two servants sat above the front door of the castle, hoping the children would enter. They weren't disappointed. The door opened and a boy and a girl entered, both around the age of twelve. They dusted off their boots and looked around.

"So this is where the Ice Queen lives," the boy said in wonder.

"Bernd, I know that Her Majesty said not to let them leave alive, but that doesn't mean that we have to kill them now."

Bernd looked at his companion. "Are you mad, Karin? What if they get to the throne room? Her Majesty would not be pleased, and then we'd be gone. We need to get rid of them before anything like that could happen."

"Yes, I know that, but...oh, they're about to enter THAT room. Shh." Karin dropped to watch as Kay and his friend turned the nob. She giggled in anticipation at the screams she knew the children would make.

They came. The children tumbled out of the room, and the girl puked. "Oh that's terrible! What happened in there?" She cried.

The servants smiled. That had been the room where Elsa had become the ice queen. The three bodies were still in pristine condition because of the cold, and Karin had never been sure when that event had taken place. She just knew that it predated her life, but she was a terrible guesser of the passing of time.

The boy moved, catching Karin's attention. He pulled the girl up and patted her on the back. "It'll be okay, Gerda. Come on."

"Alright, now we strike," Bernd hissed at Karin, his voice full of pleasure.

Bernd was about to attack when the boy turned around again. There was no time to hide behind something, so the two stood still, trying to look like statues in case they were spotted.

Gerda gave Kay a look filled with fright and confusion. "What is it?"

The boy kept looking back and forth for something. "I just thought I heard some voices. They were right about this place; it's pretty creepy." The girl nodded emphatically in agreement. "Anyway, we gotta go."

The two made their way through the hallways and approached the throne room.

"Damn," Bernd whispered. "We're gonna be goners for sure. But damn, that boy has some good hearing."

"Or you're too loud," Karin interjected. Bernd just gave her a look. The two made their way down and watched the preceding in the throne room.

"Your Majesty, we've come to ask you for something," the boy said in a quavering voice. The Queen chuckled.

"Our town of Neo-Arendelle is freezing over, just like Arendelle of old. I think it's time to put a stop to this winter. We appreciate that you have these powers, but aren't you lonely? If you melt your ice, you can have people here. You won't have to be alone, and people will enjoy your company. It is better to be praised than it is to be feared, no?"

"I destroyed Arendelle for a reason. You assume that I don't want to be alone, that I don't want to be feared. Well that is where you are wrong, boy." The queen stood up, surprising Karin.

"It's pretty amazing." The girl seconded. She stood close to the boy, clutching his arm. The two servants silently chuckled above them, about to strike. they were about to move when the boy looked up. The two imps scrambled to get out of sight.

"What is it, Fay?" The girl asked, fear evident in her voice.

"Oh, nothing, I guess." Fay turned back to the castle in front of him. "So, let's move on."

The girl audibly gulped. "O-okay."

They started walking, and the demonic servants came out of hiding, following the two on the floor.

"First, I am not alone. I have company that I keep, and I don't need any of your townspeople. Does my company fear me? It is possible. But do I care?" She gave a loud laugh. "The idea is absurd. I do not need worship from people. That is why I will not melt my ice."

The boy took several steps back, afraid.

"I'm actually surprised you made it this far. My parents and that maid didn't scare you away? Tut, tut, tut. I'll just have to give them a talking to." She looked at the two servants that were perched on the door frame to the throne room. "And my servants didn't do the job either. For shame." She shook her head. "Well, Bernd, Karin. You have one last chance." Elsa sat down on the throne to watch.

The two imps leapt at the children, eager to win back the chance of staying themselves. Kay looked around and saw a sword on the wall. He dragged Gerda over to near the wall and grabbed it. It was frozen to the wall and he tugged at it with all his might.

The two demons were almost about to grab him when it came free. He fell and landed on his back, the sword almost slicing his neck. He scrambled to his feet and held the sword at the two servants. They prowled around the two human children like cats about to attack.

Kay took initiative and swung at the closest one. It struck, but did no damage to the ice creature. Kay shook his hand in pain. _It's no use,_ he thought. _I've gotta strike the source._

Almost as if they could read his mind, the servants moved.

The Ice Queen sat behind the two servants, smirking at the boy who was trying to be brave. There seemed to be no opening. Kay felt streaks of sweat run down his face and he wiped them away with his parka.

He gave a heavy breath, unsure of what to do when a flash of motion came from his peripheral vision. He risked a glance to see Gerda charging at the two ice creatures with a mace. She swung, knocking them sideways and into a wall.

"Go!" She commanded, and Kay sprung forward. The two demons sprang at Gerda, and she waved the mace around wildly. Kay forced himself not to look and swung at the woman in the chair.

The sword entered her chest and the queen coughed up blood. Kay removed the blade and Elsa dropped out of the throne. He heard a crack as ice started melting and thawing.

Remembering Gerda, Kay looked to where his friend had been. She was bloody, and Kay wasn't sure if she was alive. He rushed over to her, sliding in the slush and water that the thawed ice was creating.

"Gerda, are you alright?" He shook his friend, willing her to still be alive. She didn't respond. He felt her pulse. Nothing. He bit his lip, hugged his friend, and left the castle. As he left, the walls started crumbling, and he shed a tear for what he had just been through.


	2. Frozen Without THE KING (pre-incident)

"Be quiet, Anna," Elsa whispered to her sister. Anna was kicking her legs, leaning right to left and humming. Normally, this would be fine, but today was not a day for being happy.

Elsa's mother leaned over to her younger daughter. "She's right, Anna," she choked. "You need to be quiet and pay your respects to your father. He's not coming back, you know."

Anna looked up at her mother, her big, 4-years-old eyes full of questions. "Why's that?"

Her mother shook her head. "Now's not the time for that. Just be quiet for right now. We'll explain later."

Anna held her sister's hand. "What does momma mean?" She asked her sister.

Elsa just shook her head and sadly whispered, "You'll find out later."

After the funeral was over, the woman and her two girls sat in a carriage, headed back to the castle.

"Anna, do you remember when your father went on that hunting trip the other day?" the queen asked her youngest child.

Anna nodded. "Yeah. Did he get a big deer for us?" Her innocence never seemed to end.

The queen looked visibly confused and startled that her young daughter wasn't grasping this concept. "N-no, Anna. He was accidentally shot with a crossbow. He died almost immediately."

Anna sat silent for a moment. "Oh," she finally muttered, looking at the floor. Elsa put her hand on her sister's.

"It'll be alright," the oldest child said with a small, regretful smile. "We'll survive somehow."

The queen turned to hide a tear from her daughters. She was proud of them for being so brave.

* * *

Anna jumped on her sister. "Come on," she goaded the sleeping figure.

"Go back to sleep," her sister murmured, trying to shake the little girl off.

"I can't," Anna replied. "The sky's awake, so I'm awake, so I have to play!"

Elsa finally shoved the younger child off. "Go play by yourself," she said, a little more awake.

Anna was silent for a moment. Finally, Elsa heard, "Do you wanna build a snowman?"

Elsa smiled and got up. "Alright, alright."

The two went down to the big room downstairs, Elsa having to quiet her sister multiple times.

Elsa turned to Anna. "Ready?"

"Always!" her sister practically yelled in excitement.

Elsa twirled her hands around to create a snowball and then threw it up in the air. It exploded, sending bits of snow all around the room. Anna giggled.

Elsa stomped the ground to create ice, and her sister slid around, laughing gleefully. Hoping for more fun, she created a snowbank, where the two created a snowman.

"Hi, I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs" Elsa said, talking as the snowman.

Anna gave the snowman a hug. "I love you, Olaf!" She said.

Anna then turned and jumped on the top of the snowbank. "Catch me," she yelled as she jumped, trusting her sister. Elsa sent some snow to catch Anna's fall, which Anna used to jump again, higher. Elsa struggled to keep up as her sister kept climbing her snow pillars. Anna leapt off of a particularly high one, making Elsa a bit nervous.

"W-wait," she said, as she moved about, calculating.

Elsa was about to put down another pillar for Anna when she slipped. Afraid for her sister, she wildly sent some magic in her sister's direction. She watched in horror as it struck Anna in the head, knocking her sister out cold. Her sister hit the snowbank and rolled a bit.

Elsa got up and hurried to her sister. "Anna, are you okay?" she asked, shaking her now pale and unconscious sister. She got no response.

"Momma," she cried, not knowing what to do. "Momma!"

Her mother entered the room and stopped when she saw Anna laying on Elsa's lap, then hurried over and felt Anna's head, noticing the white streak "She's ice cold. What have you done?" she asked, looking at her eldest daughter. "We can't stand another thing like this in this family. Not so soon after your father." She bit her lip. "I'm sorry, I just...don't know what to do in this situation."

Elsa looked up at her mother, the tears streaming down her face. "You mean, we can't do anything?" She looked down at her sister. "I'm sorry, Anna. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen."

The queen looked to the side, thinking of something, anything they could do. Finally she turned back to Elsa. "Let's get her in a warm bath. That might help."

The two carried the young girl to the bathing room, calling for maids to heat the water and fill the bath as they undressed her.

The queen sent Elsa to bed, while she herself watched over Anna.

By morning, the girl's skin had become less pale, but she wasn't waking up. Frightened, her mother called for a priest.

"My daughter has been cursed," she told the clergyman. "Can you do anything?"

"I'll try," was all he said. At the end of the day, he not only left the castle, but also the church.

The queen was distraught, and was unsure of what to do. Elsa was in her room, crying over the loss of her sister, repeating, "I didn't mean to do it, I didn't mean to hit her." over and over.

One of the maids approached the queen. "Milady, maybe you could try the trolls," she whispered, her Scottish accent making it hard to hear her suggestion.

The queen looked up at the maid. "Try the trolls?" she repeated. "But those are myths."

"So they say," she whispered. "But I've seen 'em. And if anything could help your daughter, it'd be them."

The queen thought it over. It was as good of a chance as any. Trolls would help, if they existed. She looked at the maid. "Take me there."

* * *

The two women and the older girl stood in the clearing where the trolls were rumored to live. Only rocks and boulders littered the coliseum, and the queen felt like a fool.

"Oh, trolls," the maid cried out. "We have a child who has been hit by magic. Please help her."

The rocks moved and became small people. They huddled around the maid, who carried Anna.

"Great grandpabby would know what to do," one said. "Go grab him."

One troll rolled away behind a bend. It returned, another rock following it. The other rock made its way through the maze of trolls and revealed itself as an older troll. It touched Anna's head.

"Magic?" he asked. The queen nodded. "How long has she been like this?" His voice betrayed worry and uncertainty.

"About a day," the queen said. "Are you able to help her?"

The troll looked down at the ground. "I'll try," he replied, unsure if he really could fix the girl or not. "You're lucky it wasn't her heart; I wouldn't be able to do anything." He closed his eyes and concentrated.

"I can see her memories," he narrated. "But that's it." He opened his eyes and removed his hand. "I can try one more thing, but it'll have to be quick."

"Yes, anything," the queen replied.

The troll turned to Elsa. "Little lady, could you do something for me?"

She looked at the troll unsure of what to say. She looked at her mother, who nodded. "A-alright."

"Good. Now come to me," the troll said. Elsa came and stood in front of the troll. He placed his hand on her head and closed his eyes in concentration. "You've certainly been through a lot. First your father, now your sister. And you feel absolutely terrible. Yes, child; I know. This was a terrible accident. Yes, your sister should not have jumped on that snow bank." The troll slowly moved Elsa over to Anna. "I know, child."

Elsa started to cry, going through all of those feelings again. A teardrop dropped onto Anna's face and the troll removed his hand and opened his eyes. He looked at Anna intently, and Elsa did the same, wiping tears from her face.

After several minutes of nothing, the troll turned back to the queen. "I've done all I can. Unfortunately, you came too late. Your daughter shall stay like that forever." He turned and rolled back behind the bend.

The other trolls looked at the queen. Almost as if it were choreographed, they all said, "We're sorry for your loss."

The queen lost it, tears flooded her face. "Anna," she cried through sobs. "Anna!"

The maid gulped back her own tears, still holding the frozen girl.

Elsa stood stunned. It took a while for it to finally hit her, and when it did, she dropped onto the ground and wept.

The three stayed like this for several minutes until the queen gathered herself. "Come on," she said, feigning regality. She turned and got into the carriage that had taken her there. The maid followed. Just as Elsa was about to get in, the queen shut the door and had the servant drive off.

Elsa stood, watching the carriage disappear into the distance, her mouth open in shock and disbelief.

A troll came up to the young girl. "I'm sorry, miss. Would you like to stay with me?"

Elsa nodded, and the troll led her to a small nest made of rocks. "Good," the troll said, looking at the girl. "Don't worry, I'll love you forever."

* * *

Every day for the next year, Elsa stood by the edge of the troll's land and wait for someone to pick her up. She finally came to terms with it, and lived with the trolls. Another troll had adopted a little boy named Kristoff, and the two were good friends. He was impressed by her magic, and loved it; though Elsa was sure it was mainly because he was a junior ice harvester.

The Great Grandpabby taught Elsa more about her magic and how to use it, and under his supervision, Elsa made amazing things out of ice; giant suits of armor, a small shack that she and Kristoff would play in, and even a halfsized scale model of the troll's coliseum.

After a while, she forgot about her sister, thanks to the trolls. Eventually she became as happy as she'd ever been, and even had Kristoff.

But of course it had to end. On one stormy day, a messenger from the palace came out to the troll's area. "Princess Elsa," he called. "I have a message. It's about your mother."

She came out of hiding and approached the servant. "What?" she asked, not believing it.

"Your mother went to go visit your aunt in Corona. The ship encountered a storm and sunk. There...there were no survivors."

"No," she whispered, unable to make any other sound. Her mother had abandoned her, sure, but this still shocked her.

"It's true. And you're the only living heir, so you must come back to the castle." The servant held his hand out to her.

Elsa turned back to her new family before returning her gaze to the messenger. "Alright, I'll go with you."

"Elsa," Kristoff called. "Are you really going to desert us? I mean, we're-"

The troll that had taken Elsa in all those years ago shushed him. "It's okay," she said. "Go on, darling. Just be sure to visit."

Elsa smiled. "I will," she said as she mounted the horse and sat behind the man. They were off soon after that.

* * *

The two approached the castle. Elsa got down and smoothed her dress. "Thanks..." she waited for a name.

"Hans," he said, not missing a beat.

"Thanks, Hans," she said again before running into the castle. She stopped when she saw the statue. It was all blue, and Elsa wondered what it was made of. Anna, lay on a pedestal, in the exact same height and pose as when Elsa had last seen her. Her heart dropped.

She quickly turned away and entered the building she hadn't entered or seen in several years. Once inside, many maids looked at her and her odd troll clothes. Some suppressed giggles.

"Come here, miss. We'll get'cha washed up," one called, pulling Elsa along. They pulled off her old clothes, put her in the bathtub, got her washed up, and changed into a new gown. Then they pulled her down to the main room.

"So, you're twenty-one now, right?" a maid asked. Elsa didn't see which one.

"Uh, no; I'm sixteen." The maids all looked at each other.

"Oh, that's a problem then. You can't have your coronation until you're twenty-one. That's the rules!"

Elsa whipped around.

"Forget the rules," she yelled. "This country needs a ruler, right? And I'm the only heir. You're going to have to be stuck with me whether you like it or not!"

The maids looked at each other. "Hmm, must be that time," one whispered. The others laughed, and Elsa stormed off in the heat of the moment.

She approached the statue of her sister and touched it. It was made of ice; pure, beautiful ice that Elsa herself was jealous of.

"They say that this young girl was struck by a witch," a voice said from behind her. She turned to see Hans. "She turned into never-melting ice. The queen put her on this pedestal in hopes that maybe one day she'll be awakened and that the curse shall be undone."

"I-is that true?" Elsa asked hesitantly.

Hans smiled and shook his head. "Nah, I made that up. One of the best sculptors in the area came out and chiseled that from a block of ice. Some of the villagers watched him do it."

"O-oh." The disappointment hit her like a bag of trolls and she leaned against the pedestal for support.

"Sorry," Hans said, noticing her sadness. "I didn't know it would hit you that hard." He smiled to try to cheer her up.

She straightened and shrugged it off. "No, it's fine. You're fine. I've...gotta go. Coronation and all, you know."

"Yeah," he said, watching as she left and headed towards the cathedral.

Elsa entered to find the place empty, besides the priest. She sighed at the thought of being alone.

"I'm sorry miss, but your coronation isn't for a while yet." His quiet voice easily drifted over the pews.

"You mean we can't do this now?" Elsa asked, saddened that she couldn't just get the thing over with before anyone asked any questions.

"Sorry," came the reply. Elsa turned back and left the chapel disappointed. Hans awaited her outside and joined her as she started walking around the grounds.

"So how'd it go?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood. He got no answer. "That bad, huh? Yeah, I know; it sucks having to wait." He paused before looking at her and smiling. "At least you're not the thirteenth in line."

Elsa turned to him, startled. "You're the thirteenth child?"

Hans nodded, a sad smile on his face. "Yep, and it's not fun, believe me."

Elsa looked down, trying to imagine what that would be like. She realized that it was actually a lot like how she had grown up; just with some sisters thrown in as well. The trolls had always been busy with their love expert business.

"Yeah, I kind of know what you mean. My adopted family wasn't royal, but I had plenty of older siblings that would taunt and tease me." Elsa knew that she couldn't compete to what Hans had been through at all, but she was at least glad she had some common ground. "So, are you one of the newer messengers? I haven't seen you before. Of course, it's been, what? Eight years? Yeah, it's been eight years since I was last here."

Hans laughed. "Oh no, I just happened to be around and they recruited me. I'm one of the princes of the Southern Isles."

This also shocked Elsa. "Why didn't you just tell them to go do it themselves?" She asked, knowing he could have done it easily. After all, the troll's coliseum was less than a day's ride away.

"Cause I'm too nice of a guy, I suppose," he replied, scratching the back of his neck. There was another small bout of silence before Hans inhaled sharply to signify that he was about to say something else. "Why didn't you just walk back one day? It's a day and a half of a trip by walking. I'm sure you could have gotten here easily."

Elsa wasn't sure what to answer. She had thought about going back, sure, but the look on her mother's face when she had left. The look of disownment on her mother's face that she had wept to so many night before. "Well, I could have," she started. "But the trolls took me in. They acted more like family to me than my own family would have. Er, remaining family would have," she added, remembering that her mother was the only one who had been alive until recently.

Hans nodded. "And now you essentially go from poverty back to wealth within a day. What will you do with yourself?"

"I-I don't know," Elsa said, realizing that this was true. She had never really needed anything with the trolls; food, shelter, and clothes had always been the only things she needed, and they were provided by the nice rock-people. "It'll be interesting, that's for sure."

They said nothing for a while, and just slowly circled the courtyard. Elsa broke the silence with the question that she should have asked earlier. "So, since apparently I don't know when my own coronation starts, I guess I'll ask. When is the coronation?"

Hans looked at the sun to check the time. "Oh, in about two hours."

"Two hours?" Elsa was horrified. She was sure the maids would tell someone that she wasn't yet old enough to be crowned queen yet, and then she'd have to wait for five miserable, lonely years.

"You're not of age yet, are you," Hans asked, seeming to know what was going on inside her head.

"You can tell?" Elsa asked, scared that other people would be able to figure it out.

"Well, you're probably around my age, and I'm not twenty-one yet. But you do look like you could pass it off. Not to mention that you're really antsy about wanting your coronation to be so soon. I just figured that it was because of some secret that you wanted to hide, and the only one worth keeping is your age." He winked at her. "But don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

Elsa smiled. "Thanks," she said, genuinely thankful.

"There she is!" she heard someone say. She looked from where the voice came from, and saw one of the maids pointing at her.

"I gotta go," she said quickly to Hans before she turned and ran. She didn't know nor did she care where she was going; she just wanted to get away from there. She left the castle grounds and entered the street, dodging people and horses that were in the way.

She ducked into an alleyway and hid behind a barrel, not sure if the maids had followed her all this way or not.

Elsa jumped when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to find a chuckling Kristoff.

"Very funny," she hissed. "I'm scared to death here, and that didn't help at all!"

He just laughed, finding his prank hilarious. "Sorry," he said, when he had finally calmed down. "I heard there was an issue at the castle," he said, explaining why he was there.

"News travels fast through the trollophone lines, doesn't it," Elsa muttered, giving an annoyed huff. "It's just an age problem. I'm sixteen, apparently you have to be twenty-one to be coronated, it's all bullsh-"

"That word's not very lady-like," Kristoff said, cutting her off. "But I know what you mean. I think you'd be a great queen, even though they don't think so."

"Yeah, and now I have maids after me, god knows what for," Elsa said. "That's why I'm here in this alleyway."

"Well, it looks like they've got it made." Kristoff nudged Elsa to get a reaction from his pun. She just rolled her eyes.

"That didn't even make sense," she said, unamused. She checked the entrance. No sign of her pursuers, which was good. "It looks like they didn't follow me, so that's good." Elsa got up from behind the barrel and brushed off her dress. Kristoff followed her as she left the alleyway and entered the marketplace.

"What about that messenger who came to get you?" he asked. "Is he out to get you, too?"

Elsa smiled and shook her head. "Nope, thank goodness. He's actually a nice guy...and royal, believe it or not. He comes from the Southern Isles."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Kristoff said, sensing affection in her voice. "Slow down a sec." Elsa turned to look at him. "Do you...are you starting to get feelings for this guy?"

Elsa took a step back, startled. "What? No! Why would I do a thing like that? He's just hung out with me for a bit is all."

Kristoff folded his arms. "I don't believe you," he declared.

Elsa shrugged. "Believe what you want."

"Then what's his eye color?" he asked, goading her into revealing something that would show that she was, in fact, in love with this messenger-turned-royal.

She cocked an eyebrow and made a perplexed look. "I dunno. What does that have to do with anything?"

Kristoff looked disappointed. "Nothing," he said, giving up.

"There you are, Elsa." Hans walked up from the side. "I stopped the maids for you, so you're fine."

"Oh, thank you, Hans," Elsa looked at the boy with stars in her eyes. Kristoff coughed. She snapped out of it and looked at her best friend. "Oh right. Hans, this is my friend Kristoff. He was like a brother to me."

"Oh," Hans said, taking notice of Kristoff for the first time. He extended his hand, giving a cold smile as he did so. "It's good to meet you, Kistoff."

Kristoff tried not to wince at the vice grip that Hans was giving him. "Yeah, nice to meet you too."

Elsa smiled, then realized they had time to burn. "Well, we should do something. We've still got an hour or so to burn, and it's not like we can really do anything to make time go faster."

Hans looked at Elsa and then at Kristoff. "Why don't we show your friend here the inside of the castle? I promise that the maids won't touch you."

Elsa looked unsure, but then nodded. "That's a great idea!" She grabbed Kristoff and ran towards the castle.

* * *

They were at the highest room in the tower, overlooking the castle grounds and most of Arendelle. Elsa grinned, watching Hans and Kristoff's faces. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Hans smiled as he turned to face her. "It really is. But I really like the inside as well." Kristoff rolled his eyes. "It'll be a shame," Hans continued ,looking back at the view. "You'll have this big castle and no one to share it with, save the servants, of course."

"Yes," Elsa said sadly, realizing that what he was saying was the truth. She turned around. "Excuse me for a moment," she called as she walked away.

Kristof turned and faced Hans. "You think you're clever, aren't you? Playing games with my friend like that. You sicken me."

Hans widened his eyes in surprise and hurt. "I don't know what you're talking about. Someone needed to inform her of what was to happen after the coronation."

Kristoff shook his head. "No, I'm pretty sure she knew it all along. You didn't need to remind her!"

"And who are you supposed to be? Her bodyguard?" Hans asked with a snide tone.

"You could say that," Kristoff retorted. He didn't expect the right jab that came afterwards. Kristoff held his cheek as he saw the rage on Hans' face. He just shook his head. "You shouldn't have done that," he said, a humorless grin on his face. "You should _not_ have done that. Or did you forget that I grew up with rocks?"

He had just finished that sentence when he decked Hans with an uppercut. The other boy flew back, hit a window, and slumped to the floor. He picked himself up and charged Kristoff, picking him up and ramming him into the other window, which shattered.

Hans held Kristoff outside the shattered window, a smug smirk on his face. He was about to let go when Kristoff grabbed his arm and yanked, using the roof as a fulcrum. Hans flew out the window and landed on the roof below the blonde boy. With nothing to keep them up, they slid down the slick tiles.

"No!" Elsa shouted from the window, watching as they dropped off the roof and out of sight. She stayed for several seconds, hoping to see one of their hands appear on the roof, and then pull themselves up. But it didn't come. She dropped to her knees and wept.

She stayed in that position for a few minutes before she got up and started wandering aimlessly, lost in the depression of the moment. Somehow she ended up in front of the ice statue of her sister. She bit her lip, then got on the pedestal and hugged it tightly to her chest.

She felt warmness against her breast and released her hug to find her sister there, laying on the pedestal. Anna opened her eyes and yawned. She noticed her sister kneeling next to her and looked her up and down. "Elsa? You're so big! And where am I?" Elsa didn't answer...couldn't answer. She just stared at the little red-head. The little girl looked down to see if anything was the matter. "What? Do I have something on my clothes?"

"N-no," Elsa managed to get out. She struggled, not knowing what to say to her sister who was back from the dead. "You...well, I froze you on accident. I guess you've been an ice block for about eight years."

Anna's eyes went wide. "Really?!" She looked down at her hands, turning them over. "But I'm normal," she said, turning her gaze back to Elsa.

The older girl smiled sadly. "Yeah. Somehow, I guess I unfroze you. But it's gonna be tough; I guess I'll have to raise you now, alone."

"Alone?" Anna looked puzzled. "But you have momma to help, right?"

A sharp bark of harsh, humorless laughter escaped Elsa's lips. She controlled herself. "No, Anna. She and I had a falling out when I accidentally froze you. And then..." Elsa trailed off.

"'And then' what?" the little girl repeated.

Elsa pursed her lips. "Momma...died. She went to see her sister in Corona and the ship crashed."

Anna's eyes went wide again and she started to tear up. Elsa had forgotten that, for her sister, only a few days had passed since their father had died as well. It must have been quite a shock for her.

And then Elsa remembered her own losses. She grabbed the sobbing, four-year-old girl and hugged her, letting tears of her own escape. She heard a shuffle come from the entrance to the courtyard and turned. A wet Kristoff stood there, his face bleeding and clutching his shoulder. Elsa released her sister and ran to him.

"Oh my...Kristoff, are you okay?" Her sympathy was evident in her voice.

He smiled, showing a knocked out tooth or two. "Yeah, I'm fine. You should see the other guy."

Elsa gasped. "What did you do to Hans?!" She grabbed his shirt at the shoulders and tried to shake him. "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing, nothing. Relax; it was a joke." He pushed Elsa back a bit and she released his shirt. I think he's still got the wind knocked out of him, but he's over on the beach." Elsa was about to hurry over to the beach when Kristoff stopped her. "Wait a minute," he said, spying Anna. "Isn't that your sister?"

Elsa looked back at Anna, who was still sitting on the pedestal, letting small sobs escape. "Yeah," she replied. She rolled her eyes, made desperate look, then led Kristoff over to where Anna sat. "Anna, this is my best friend and adopted brother, Kristoff."

"Hey, Anna," Kristoff greeted.

Anna wiped away a tear and looked at him. "H-hi." She turned to Elsa. "What do you mean, 'adopted?'"

Elsa had forgotten that she hadn't told Anna the full story. "Well, remember when I told you that momma and I had a falling out?" Anna nodded. "Well, she left me with the...doctors that tried to help fix you. They adopted me, and that's where I met Kristoff." Elsa saw that Anna understood, and was glad.

"Hey sis," Anna asked after a minute.

"Yeah?" Elsa answered.

Anna leaned in and whispered, "Do you still have the magic?"

Elsa smiled. "I do. And I've been practicing." The little girl looked giddy.

Kristoff thought for a second. "She's supposed to be older than this, right?" He asked out of the blue.

Elsa turned to Kristoff, confused. "How do you know that?"

Kristoff gave the girls a sheepish grin. "Well, I kind of saw you that night when you got disowned. I watched the whole thing."

"You what?" Elsa thought back to that night, and then tried to remember if Kristoff had told her this little snippet of information. He hadn't. She walked up to him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I figured it wasn't important," he replied truthfully. "Besides, that was a painful night for you that I wanted you to forget."

Elsa grinned sadly, realizing that his intentions were pure. "You're right, thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied. "Anyway, I think we can do something about the age problem, if you want her to be her normal-aged self."

Elsa looked at the sun. "But we'll miss the coronation," she said, not wanting to miss out.

"You're not even old enough anyway," he replied. "Come on."

He led them outside the castle walls and into the marketplace, where Sven awaited them. They climbed aboard, Elsa forgetting all about Hans, and sped off towards the troll's coliseum again.

* * *

"Guys, we're back," Kristoff called to the sleeping trolls. "We can't stay long; we need to talk with great grandpabby."

The old troll rolled up to the three humans and reindeer. "What do you need, Kristoff?" he asked before noticing Anna. "Oh, hello there, sweetheart. I remember you."

"This is what I need you to help with," Kristoff said, putting his hands on the young girl's shoulders. "Can you do something to fix her age?"

Grandpabby thought a minute. "I'll try." He took Anna down and lead her to a small, stone table. "Here, lie down." Anna lay down and the troll looked her over. He walked to a troll nest, grabbed a crystal from inside, and returned. Elsa and Kristoff watched from afar.

Lights started dancing above the table, emitted from the crystal in grandpabby's hand. He circled her, creating a circle of blue and green light around her. It glowed brightly in the almost faded light of the set sun.

Elsa gasped as she watched the girl stretch slowly, growing from only taking up half the table to three-quarters of it. After another minute, the light faded and Anna sat up, swinging her legs off the side of the table.

Elsa got down and ran over to her sister. "Anna, how old are you?" She questioned.

Anna looked at her, perplexed. "Thirteen, why?"

Elsa smiled, then frowned again. "What do you remember?"

Grandpabby approached and answered for Anna. "Obviously, she has no memories of this world after the incident. However, I was able to insert some memories from another world into her. This is a lot more than you need to know, but do know that she doesn't know that you have...your gift."

Anna looked around. "Where am I? What are all these rocks doing? Why are you talking to a troll?" She turned to Elsa. "How are you surviving, finally being outside of your room?"

Elsa took a step back, confused. "What? I haven't been in my room for years."

Anna frowned. "No, you haven't been _out _of your room for years. You shut me out, remember?"

Elsa was about to respond, but Grandpabby put his hand on her arm. "Anna, you fainted. Elsa heard you and brought you to me. I fixed you up. Don't worry, your sister doesn't have to hide in her room anymore."

Anna eyed the two of them suspiciously. "Okay," she said after a minute. Elsa sighed with relief.

"Alright," Kristoff said, catching the two's attention. "Now that she's normal, we can go back to the castle."

Elsa smiled. She took Anna by the hand and dragged her onto Sven, behind Kristoff, and then she herself got on behind her younger sister. "I can't wait to show you all these things," Elsa whispered to her sister.

* * *

They returned to the castle late that night. Anna walked in. "Mother, father, I'm home!" She yelled. Elsa sadly realized that she had forgotten that their parents were dead and that she'd have to tell her that yet again.

"Anna," Elsa said slowly. "Our parents are dead."

Anna turned around and faced her sister. "What?" she asked before folding her arms and turning back around. "I don't believe you."

"It's true; father died in a hunting accident eight years ago, and mother died in a shipwreck this week when she went to visit our aunt in Corona. "

Anna turned back around. "That's not possible. I just saw them today! Both of them!"

Elsa bit her lip, unsure of what to say. She was about to speak when she heard a laugh from the shadows.

"She's right, Anna," Hans said, stepping out from a dark corner with a big sneer on his face. "Your mother died. I was the one who sent her on that ship. She was begging and begging for some human interaction, so I sent her on her way. I knew that this was the time for tropical storms, but I sabotaged their boat just in case they were lucky." He looked at Elsa.

"But I hadn't counted on you. I thought that once I got the queen out of the way, it would be easy. I could fake a will and leave everything to me. But then a certain maid had to remember that there was a child of the queen's living with the fair folk of the woods. I volunteered to go and retrieve you, to get on your good side, and then, when the time was right, kill you too. It was perfect...until your boyfriend came along."

Anna looked at Elsa, afraid. Kristoff stepped next to Elsa, confused. "Uh, I'm not...we're definitely not like that."

Hans spit on the ground, some blood showing up in the dim candlelight. "I don't care. You still had to swoop in and save the day." He took a step towards the other boy. "But this time, I'm the one who'll be victorious," he whispered. He pulled out a sword that Elsa had failed to notice.

"I'm gonna kill all three of you and then this castle will be mine!" He laughed maniacally, then charged at the other teens. Kristoff grabbed a nearby candelabra and parried with it, knowing full well that he wouldn't be able to keep the sword.

Hans jumped back and then stabbed at the other boy, who sidestepped and swung the candelabra at the attacker's head, blowing out the candles that had been miraculously still lit until then. Hans ducked, then twisted, swinging the sword at Kristoff's torso. Kristoff blocked again. Hans was about to attack again when a dark object crashed into him, sending the sword flying down the hall and knocking the other youth out.

Kristoff took a closer look to see that it was a bust's head. He cocked an eyebrow and looked over from where it had come from to see Anna sitting by a small pedestal that was missing the exact head that had been thrown.

He nodded at the girl. "Good work," he said, smiling. She smiled back, then remembered what Hans had said.

"So, he basically killed momma, and tried to kill us?" Anna recounted. "What should we do with him?"

"Well," Elsa replied. "There are probably dungeons, we could put him there until we deport him."

Kristoff nodded. "That's probably the best and safest bet."

He picked up the unconscious youth. "Don't worry, I've got him." He was about to take a step when he stopped and turned back around. "Um, where's the dungeon?"

Elsa smirked. "Follow me," she said, leading the way.

* * *

The next day, Elsa woke up to two other teens in her bed, still snoring. She smiled at them, and got out, careful to not wake them. She bathed and got dressed, not expecting anything. The party in the dining room shocked her.

"Princess Elsa," the priest addressed her. "We've decided that, although you are not of age, we will still allow you to be coronated. Please meet in the chapel at noon."

Elsa smiled like an idiot. She couldn't believe it; she was going to be a queen! She walked around the room, thanking everyone, shaking hands, and still smiling from ear to ear.

Throughout all the noise, she caught a small, faraway voice call, "Elsa!" It was her sister. She quieted the people in the room to hear her sister shout for her again, "Elsa!"

She turned to where the sound was coming from, but she couldn't see her sister. "Anna?" Elsa called, walking out of the dining room and towards the hallway. "Anna, where are you?"

She left the dining room, and instead of entering the hallway, like she should have, she walking into the dungeon.

She heard her sister call again. "Elsa!"

"Anna? Where are you? Anna!" She started walking down the corridor, looking for her sister through the bars on the door. When she came across the last door, she heard one last shout. It was coming from here! She peeked through to see...Hans, shoving a sword through the bars and into her skull.

* * *

Elsa sat up in a cold sweat, gasping for breath. Her sister stood beside her bed, a worried look on her face.

"Elsa, are you alright? You were moaning and wrestling around." Her voice was filled with genuine sympathy.

"Yeah, it was just a nightmare," she replied, rubbing her forehead.

It had been three weeks since the whole fiasco, and since then, Hans had been deported to the Southern Isles, Elsa and Anna had begun reconnecting again, and Anna and Kristoff had been courting. Elsa hadn't become queen yet; she'd have to wait until she was twenty-one, but she had come to terms with it. But, she was glad that she wasn't going to be alone, and she was _very_ glad to have her sister back.

But what made her the happiest was when the townspeople would come up to her and tell her that she had done a great job and would be a great queen when she came of age, because she knew that they were right.


End file.
